Obama: I'd Hire Gore

[TragedyandHope]

Apr 2nd, 2008 | WALLINGFORD, Pa. -- Democrat Barack Obama said Wednesday he talks regularly with former vice president Al Gore and would consider putting him in a Cabinet-level position or higher.

A woman at a town hall asked the Illinois senator if elected president would he consider tapping the former vice president for his Cabinet, or an even higher level office, to address global warming.

"I would," Obama said. "Not only will I, but I will make a commitment that Al Gore will be at the table and play a central part in us figuring out how we solve this problem. He's somebody I talk to on a regular basis. I'm already consulting with him in terms of these issues, but climate change is real. It is something we have to deal with now, not 10 years from now, not 20 years from now."

The only position higher than a Cabinet post is vice president. While Obama seemed to dangle that possibility in his answer Wednesday, he has repeatedly said it is far too early to discuss potential vice presidents because the nomination has not been won.

http://www.salon.com/wires/ap/2008/04/02/D8VPS7CG1_obama_gore/print.html

[anonymous171]

1. O..M...G

:woohoo: GOBAMA!

[ORDagnabbit]

2. YES!YES!YES!YES! n/t

[sellitman]

3. Could Gore serve as VP again?

Is that Kosher?

[stellanoir]

4. He'd be the most informed Director of the Interior or Director of the EPA

we've ever had.

The environment is now his passion.

Let him "follow his bliss."

[indimuse]

34. !

freak! hhumm..

[Birthmark]

5. How very kind of Obama

Wonder what makes him think that Gore would take a government job?

[bellasgrams]

7. Birthmark. I thought the same thing. BO is so humble. don't you

just love it.

[Hugabear]

11. Ah, the Obama haters show their arrogant smugness once again

But I bet you thought it was just fine when some DUer suggested that Obama could get a job as a White House doorman if Hillary got elected.

[Birthmark]

15. Obama hater? Me?

Hardly. I didn't see the "doorman" post. I agree it is mean-spirited and meant to demean. (It's also pretty unlikely).

However, the idea of the rather unaccomplished Senator offering a job to a world-famous Nobel Prize winner struck me as a bit amusing. It's not like Al is down on his luck.

[Hugabear]

19. "rather unaccomplished Senator"

Wrong. If this scenario played out, he'd be President of the United States.

I don't think it would be demeaning to offer Gore a position where he could further expand on his cause.

If Hillary is elected President, I would hope that she would do the same.

[RichardRay]

9. Because he thinks Al Gore cares about what's going on and wants to contribute? n/t

[Birthmark]

13. Al Gore is contributing

Perhaps as much as anyone on the planet. He's already won a Nobel for his efforts. I doubt that there is much advantage in a government position for President Gore.

[cali]

18. Al Gore is a good spokesman

for climate change. I think the adulation that goes on here is a little much.

[RichardRay]

26. And if he thought that he could contribute more effectively...

as a member of Senator Obama's administration then he would no doubt be happy to take a place in it. If he thought it would hinder him in that pursuit, he wouldn't. I'm certain that if Senator Obama offered him a position it would be one in which he felt Gore could contribute effectively in solving the problems closest to his heart.

That's the nature of people who are trying to solve a problem.

[Birthmark]

27. I'm certainly not going to tell Al Gore...

...what jobs to take. He's well able to determine in what capacity is efforts will be most effective. I just greatly doubt that he'd take any government job right now.

[rodbailey]

32. How about

PRESIDENT!!!

[Birthmark]

33. Apparently he's not interested in that either.

But I'd fully support a concerted effort to draft him as the Democratic candidate for President.

[scheming daemons]

14. And if Obama answered the question by saying he WOULDN'T be interested in Gore, what would your.....

response have been?


Yeah.... thought so.

[Birthmark]

17. Oh, you already know my answer?

Curious. Perhaps it would be better if you asked and let me answer for myself. I'm more likely to be right about my opinion than you are. My track record of reporting my opinion accurately approaches 100%. You, OTOH, are already 0-for-1.

[shayes51]

16. Isn't it though.

[SeattleGirl]

22. Come on.

Just because Obama said he would hire Gore doesn't mean that Gore would accept. But how does that make Obama a bad guy for saying that? I think you're reaching here.

Whether Obama or Clinton got into the white house, I would hope that, even if Gore didn't want a formal position, they would turn to him to advise and ideas on global warming.

[Birthmark]

24. Reaching?

I said it was very kind. Okay, I'm being sarcastic. Let me put it another way: Obama would get far more mileage from Gore than Gore could get from Obama at this point. That, imo, remains true even if Obama becomes President.

[Kahuna]

28. Hmmm. Could it be because he talks to him regularly? Could it be that

they have discussed how Gore could be useful in an Obama administration? You don't think that's possible? :shrug:

[politmuse1]

6. Gore already said no. Preposterous!

Al Gore is such a statesman and experienced world leader (never mind Nobel laureate and popularly-elected president in 2000) that it's arrogant of Obama to suggest that Gore would be "considered" for the vice presidency, as if Gore needs any favors from a first-term Senator. Besides, Gore has made it clear long ago that he has no interest in a cabinet position. If he returns to politics at any point, it would be as a presidential candidate.

Obama is obviously trying to woo Gore supporters by attaching himself to Gore this way. If he wants to gain favor with them or with Gore, he'd be better advised to start discussing global warming in a serious way.
So far it's been at the very bottom of his list of priorities.

Now if he wants to talk about a Gore/Obama ticket .... I'll listen.

[joshcryer]

23. Yes, the only way Gore has said he'd be in public office is as POTUS.

Simple.

[LakeSamish706]

8. There is one thing that all of the negative posts with respect to the OP are forgetting....

You have no idea what conversations are taking place between Barack and Al, so why post something they you know nothing about?

[jwirr]

10. While Al does not seem to want a job in government, I would hope

that he would be an adviser to our next president. We are going to need the experts to step forward to straighten out this mess. As an adviser he would still have his freedom to act in whatever way he wants to outside of government.

[Hugabear]

12. Al Gore would make a great UN ambassador

If Obama thought that he could utilize Gore in some way that would help Gore further his cause - saving the planet - then why not?

As far as I know, Gore has only ruled out running for President.

[rodbailey]

31. Actually,

quite the contrary. He has said (CNN interview after receiving the Nobel) that if he ever got back into politics it would only be at the presidential level. I take him at his word and don't think he's looking for a cabinet position or UN ambassador, or VP (been there, done that). However, Gore as President has a nice ring to it - and with Obama as a VP candidate would be absolutely unbeatable in Nov. If you're interested in pursuing that dream, slide on over to the Al Gore '08 Forum here at DU and see what's going on to, perhaps, try to make that a reality.

[kwolf68]

20. that's good news

As someone totally uninspired in the current political process, a Gore-influenced presidency is worth voting for.

[BlooInBloo]

21. What's higher than cabinet level?

[Bake]

25. Oh, just for the record ...

Obama has neither the experience nor the class to carry Al's brief case.

"I'll hire Gore." The very HEIGHT of arrogance!!

Bake

[knight_of_the_star]

29. Yes!

Obama isn't as great as his comments would indicate.

[MrsMatt]

30. As I was scrolling the page, I read your title as

Obama: "I'd Hit Gore"

[Tennessee Gal]

35. Wonder what Al thinks of this?